Incendiary bomb scoop



Dec. 22, 1942. c BIRCH INCENDIARY BOMB $00 01 Filed June 19, 1942 Patented Dec. 22, 1942 INCENDIABY BOIWB SCOOP Charles H. Birch, Mount Vernon, N. Y., assignor to Birch Packing Co. Inc., Mount Vernon, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 19, 1942, Serial No. 447,707

6 Claims.

This invention relates to incendiary bomb scoops.

As is well known, incendiary bombs of various types develop intense heat capable of burning through relatively heavy metal, and they are difficult and sometimes impossible to extinguish. Great difficulty is encountered where one of these bombs falls on or near inflammable material, in which case destructive fires can be caused before the bomb possibly can be extinguished.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novel bomb scoop which readily can be placed in position to receive a bomb and which is so constructed as to render the scooping of the bomb thereinto extremely easily accomplished.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a fire-resistant lining to prevent the bomb from burning through the metal casing of the device before it can be carried to a point of safety.

A further object is to provide a bomb scoop and receptacle in combination with a scraper adapted for scraping a bomb intothe receptacle, the latter having an open end so constructed as to facilitate the scraping of the bomb into the container.

A further object is to provide such a combined scoop and container which is not only constructed to facilitate the scooping or scraping of l the bomb thereinto, but which has ample capacity for receiving the bomb and which has its top sloping downwardly toward the open end to better contain and house the bomb and minimize the possibility of sparks flying from the bomb over and back into contact with the person operating the device.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is so constructed as to allow circulation through the device of suffieient air to support combustion without explosion, but which minimizes contact of the bomb with the air to minimize the rate of combustion of the bomb.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the scoop and the scraper therefor,

Figure 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view through the scoop, and,

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View on line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 10 be obvious.

designates the body of the scoop or container as a whole. The body of the scoop is generally triangular in cross-section as shown in Figures 1 and 3 and is preferably formed of a bottom ll having flanges 2 at its longitudinal edges parallel.

to each other and extending vertically. The side walls [3 are preferably formed of a single sheet of metal preferably of a high melting point, the

side walls sloping upwardly to an apex as viewed in cross-section in Figure 3. Adjacent its lower edge, each side wall I3 is provided with a depending flange l4 preferably lying inwardly of and against the adjacent flange l2, and the extremity of each flange [4 is turned inwardly as at IE to overlie the bottom I l.

The body of the scoop is provided with an open end It and the opposite end of the scoop comprises a vertical wall I! cut generally triangular to fit between the bottom and side walls. At its edges, the rear wall Il may be provided with flanges l8 arranged inwardly of and fitting against the bottom wall II and side walls l3. The rear wall I! is apertured as at 59 for a purpose to be described. The various metal walls referred to may be suitably secured to each other as desired, for example, by riveting, or as by being welded together as indicated at 20 in Figure 2.

The inside of the scoop is provided with a relatively thick lining 2| of highly fire-resistant material such as asbestos cement or fire clay and/or magnesium, such material also possessing a high heat insulating value as is well known. The lining of the device is placed therein inplastic form after the metal walls are assembled, as will In registration with the openings l9 the lining 2| is provided with openings 22, as shown in Figure 2.

The top edge of the body of the scoop slopes downwardly toward the open end of the scoop as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the open end It slopes downwardly away from the closed end of the scoop as clearly shown, this slope preferably being cut through all of the metal wall elements and through the adjacent edge of the lining 2| so that the edge of this lining is flush with the edges of the metal walls.

Retaining bands 23 tightly fit around the scoop, being bent as accurately as possible to coincide with the cross-sectional shape of the scoop where each band is arranged, These bands act as retainers in the event the heat of the bomb should tend to crack or split one of the walls of the device, and accordingly they constitute one of the features of the present device.

. The two ends of each band are bent at the tops as at 24 for a purpose to be described and between such bent portion and the top of the body of the scoop each band has its ends riveted or bolted together as at 25.

The bent portions 24 are shaped to receive the adjacent end of a handle indicated as a whole by the numeral 26. This handle may be unitary, or may be formed with a metal lower end 2'! having its upper end 28 bent upwardly at an angle and forming a socket to receive a wood handle 29 riveted to the socket as at 3|]. The upward bending of the socket 28 places the free end of the handle 29 in a position to be easily manipulated by the operator.

The scraper to be used in connection with the device is shown in Figure 1 and is indicated by the numeral 3!. The scraper comprises a blade 32 preferably made of hard asbestos board secured to the downwardly bent end 33 of an iron or other metal strap 34. This strap has its free end riveted or otherwise secured as at 35 to a swivel handle 36 of such length as to permit it to be held in one of the operators hands while the operator holds the free end of the handle 29 in his other hand. With the operator in a standing position, for a person of average height, the handles will be so arranged that the operator may hold the end of the handle 29 easily with his arm hanging down and slightly in front of him. With the other arm in the same position, the operator may grasp the end of the handle 36 with the plate 22 slightly inclined from the vertical in an initial scraping position, as shown in Figure 1.

The operation of the device is as follows:

It is proposed that these devices be distributed at points where they will be readily accessible for use in the event of an air raid in which incendiary bombs are dropped. Where such bombs are dropped in the open street they can be readily taken care of without damage, but where they are dropped on buildings or on or near other surfaces of inflammable material, it is highly important that they be removed since the extinguishing of a bomb under such conditions very frequently cannot be completed before a fire has definitely started. Such a fire will gain rapid headway because of the intense heat developed by thermite and other highly inflammable materials of which bombs of this character are made.

Where it is desired to remove rather tha extinguish a bomb, the fire warden or other person to whom the device is accessible will carry the scoop and scraper to the bomb and with the scoop in front of him the operator will push the open end of the scoop toward the bomb before he is affected by the intense heat being given off. The sloping edge of the bottom I l and the lining thereabove facilitates the pushing of the bottom of the scoop beneath the bomb, and while this operation is being performed the operator may reach over the scoop with the scraper and quickly pull the plate 32 to scrape the bomb into the scoop. The flat lower edge of the scraper 32, as the bomb is scraped into the scoop, will scrape cleanly over a flat surface and will fit against the sloping forward edge of the scoop to ride upwardly thereover to facilitate the pulling of the bomb into the scoop and the dropping into the scoop of portions of the bomb which do not immediately fall into the scoop but which are pulled upwardly by the scraper 32.

The sliding of the scraper upwardly over the sloped open end of the scoop greatly facilitates the quick moving of the bomb wholly into the scoop, as will be apparent. The scraper is at least as long as the width of the widest part of the open end of the scoop and therefore may be pulled in one motion up over the open end of the scoop. Thus the bomb may be quickly loaded into the scoop to be carried away. In this connection it will be noted that the handle supports the load at spaced points along the top of the scoop instead of being connected to the scoop solely at one point which might become overheated and bend or break. The metal portion 21 of the handle is spaced from the body of the scoop, thus minimizing conduction of heat to the handle.

Some air circulation through the scoop is provided by the openings I9 and 22, but the heat of the products of combustion passing through these small openings will be insufficient to injure the operator. The arranging of the top of the scoop adjacent the open end thereof at a point lower than at the opposite end tends better to confine the parts of the bomb and minimizes the danger of sparks passing upwardly and then rearwardly into contact with the operator.

The fire resistant and heat insulating lining permits the operator to, safely transport the bomb to a place of safe disposal as will be apparent, thus greatly minimizing the danger of disastrous fires from incendiary bombs. The lining is of such material as to be highly fire-resistant and its heat insulating qualities protect the metal walls of the device from being burned by the bomb. In the event the heat developed by the bomb should crack the lining and tend to split the casing of the device, the bands 23 will assist in holding the parts of the device together so as to prevent the bomb or any part thereof from falling through the device.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. An incendiary bomb scooping device comprising an elongated scoop body open at one end and having a fire-resistant lining therein, retaining bands clamped around said body at spaced points therealong, said retaining bands having ends projecting upwardly above said body and each having its ends provided with complementary semicircular socket portions, and a handle having a metal end spaced above and'par-' allel to said body and arranged in said socket portions. r

2. An incendiary bomb scooping device comprising a body-of generally triangular cross-sec tion having a flat bottom, said body being formed of a metal shell and a fire-resistant heat insulating lining, one end of said body being open with the edges of the shell and lining flush with each other and sloping upwardly from the bottom of the body toward the other end thereof, and a handle secured to said body.

3. An incendiary bomb scooping device comprising a body of generally triangular cross-section having a fiat bottom, said body being formed of a metal shell and a fire-resistant heat insulating lining, one end of said body being open with the edges of the shell and lining flush with each other and sloping upwardly from the bottom of the body toward the other end thereof, andla handle secured to said body, the top of said body sloping downwardly toward the open end thereof whereby the other end of the body is higher than said open end.

4. An incendiary bomb scooping device comprising a body of generally triangular cross-section having a fiat bottom, said body being formed of a metal shell and a fire-resistant heat insulating lining, one end of said body being open with the edges of the shell and lining flush with each other and sloping upwardly from the bottom of the body toward the other end thereof, a pair of spaced retaining bands surrounding said body, and a handle connected to both of said bands and spaced from said body.

5. An incendiary bomb scooping device comprising a body of generally triangular cross-section having a fiat bottom, said body being formed of a metal shell and a fire-resistant heat insulating lining, one end of said body being open with the edges of the shell and lining flush with each other and sloping upwardly from the bottom of the body toward the other end thereof, a pair of spaced retaining bands surrounding said body, each band having its ends arranged above said body and bent to form complementary semicircular socket portions spaced above said body, and a handle having a metal end parallel to said body and clamped in said socket portions.

6. An incendiary bomb scooping device comprising a body of generally triangular cross-section having a flat bottom, said body being formed of a metal shell and a fire-resistant heat insulating lining, one end of said body being open with the edges of the shell and lining flush with each other and sloping upwardly from the bottom of the body toward the other end thereof, a pair of spaced retaining bands surrounding said body, each band having its ends arranged above said body and bent to form complementary semicircular socket portions spaced above said body, a handle having a, metal end parallel to said body and clamped in said socket portions, and a scraper comprising a handle and a fire-resistant blade carried thereby, said blade having a straight lower edge of a length at least equal to the width of the open end of said body to slide upwardly over the slope thereof when the blade is pulled toward said body to scrape a bomb into the open end thereof.

CHARLES H. BIRCH. 

